Lent is one of the two seasons of preparation in the Liturgical Calendar. The other being the season of Advent. Lent gives us 40 days of preparation to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. A call to a deeper awareness of self and an inner conversion of heart. Today’s readings remind us of the battle that comes against the identity we have in Christ as we seek to follow Christ faithfully.

The first reading gives an account of the creation story and the fall of Adam and Eve. Satan deceives Eve by asking, “Did God really tell you…?” In the busyness of life we may have missed the mark ourselves. Perhaps we have also heard the whisper of the evil one, “if you lie just a bit it wouldn’t matter.. or if you compromise just this once no one would notice.., if you give in just a bit you could save your self” and so the battle rages on. Some are pulled into self pity and some dwell into their past or fear the future and doubt God’s plan. And in that dark abyss of sin and compromise God seems distant.

How can I let go of this darkness and enter his light? The Lord reminds me, ‘it is, in repentance and rest, in quietness and trust that you re-discover me and find your strength’ (Is 30:15). As I go for the Sacrament of Reconciliation I clear out my heart and find freedom once again. As I come out of the confessional I feel the lightness in my spirit and experience his joy. I have reconciled with God!

In today’s Gospel proclamation we see a dichotomy of events in Jesus’ life. On one hand, the son of Joseph and Mary proves his divinity by his responses to the temptations he faced and on the other being the Son of God identifies himself with the sinner, understanding what it truly means to be tempted.

As the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews says in 4:15, ‘we have one who has been tempted in every way..’. So we can come to him in that confidence knowing that he understands. He is the good father and he patiently waits for us.

Lent offers us that opportunity to rediscover God in the desert of our lives; where we pray, wait and prepare our hearts for an infilling of the Holy Spirit, through repentance and reconciliation. As we hear in one of the Prefaces for Lent: “through bodily fasting you restrain our faults, raise up our minds, and bestow both virtue and its rewards.” Therefore, let us be intent on carrying out good works and choose to fast and pray as we draw closer to celebrating the mysteries of salvation.

Prayer: Abba Father, help me rediscover your love, mercy and grace in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and find joy as I walk in your ways. Amen.